Cool Neighbors

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Fake Four, Inc. Spring Tour

New Haven-based recording label Fake Four Inc. is currently in the middle of a huge US tour. They've just finished a stint at SXSW and will be headed back to the East Coast very soon, hitting New Haven's Cafe 9 on March 31st. The bill features loads of indie hip-hop artists from the label.

Fake Four, Inc. was established in 2007 by Ceschi Ramos, a New Haven local. He started the label as an outlet for his own group of bands, Anonymous, Inc. and has been growing ever since. The label's been run with the strictly DIY ethic, partnering with Squids Eye Records and Grimm Image Records, but still maintaining a strong independent spirit. They don't really have a "sound," releasing everything from hip-hop to metal to indie folk from all around the world. The only thing they have in common is all of their artists are somehow slightly removed from the normal established musical traditions. They've been gaining national attention a lot lately, with releases from bands like Electric President, Boy In Static, Awol One, Factor, and more.

Headlining the show will be Sole and the Skyrider Band. They are fronted by Sole, one of the founding members of the Anticon collective and key figure in the experimental hip hop movement. The guy has played with everyone, from Genghis Tron to Enon. He's since parted ways with Anticon, and is currenly working with the Skyrider Band. They released the album "Plastique," in 2007, which got great reviews. It features the great tune “Battlefields." It's a collaboration with Markus Acher, lead singer of The Notwist. Check out the video below:

The show will also feature Onry Ozzborn (of Grayskul/Oldominion/Rhymesayers fame) and his new project Dark Time Sunshine. You can check out his new release "Believeyoume," which was made available as a free download. They play a blend of vintage hip-hop beats with trippy reverb and dub echo running throughout.

Label founder Ceschi will also be playing. While his tunes are hip-hop, they blend together pop and acoustic folk sensabilites. His music is relaxing and listenable, but he's got pretty deep-cutting lyrics. Check out this video of him on KRCX: